Reciprocate
by REGIKING
Summary: Bionicles for the big boys. Follow Toa Quiri, with her coincidentally mysterious past on her adventures with Zunko, whose name she heard in her sleep, on the brand new island of Rexa Nui. It's time for a story that wasn't for the kids; watch out for killing, angst, and general crass humor, but helped with a side of - FRIENDSHIP!


_Zunko._

 _Where did that name come from?_

Quiri's immediate thought was ' _panic because someone with psionics is out to get you"_ , but managed to quickly quash it when she remembered where she was; on a boat in the middle of the ocean on its way to Rexa Nui. And, while she was loath to admit it, she wasn't worth mind controlling… or mind- _anything_ , really. All she was was a solo Toa of Air with a mean streak stretching back to her team going missing. And wasn't that a joy?

But Zunko? What kind of name was that? Snorting, Quiri threw her head back and flopped into the boat, staring up at the cloudless sky. It was alight with stars, illuminating her craft. Simple.

Zunko.

Maybe it would be better this time around. Maybe she wouldn't butcher everything she'd set out to do, maybe Quiri would actually help.

She closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

A soft buzzing awoke Quiri, and she realize, as she glanced at the twin suns above, the boat had ceased rocking. She sat up and glanced around.

It was a beach.

"Wow," she remarked dryly. "This place is exciting."

Nice, sand-toned sands, with some more sand and water to go along with that sand.

With a sigh, she clambered out of the craft and dragged it up the beach, grumbling all the way, her heavily modified armor doing nothing to assist but definitely making things harder. Always harder unless it was a fight. When that menial task was finished, Quiri dusted herself off and looked around the shoreline.

 _Empty. Of course._

Several minutes of walking found her a path through the light shrubbery of the forest just beyond the sand, well worn and foot trodden dirt pounded flat by years of travel, with several somewhat-but-not-quite fresh footsteps. Would it lead into a village? Was the island already dead? She'd spent almost a week on the raft by herself; as much as she despised people, she would need to speak to someone, anyone, just to remain sane. But talking to people _sucked._

Quiri just sighed and trudged farther inland, shivering as she felt eyes on her back. But she refused to look around. She had to maintain a facade of invincibility; if they thought she was scared, they were try to intimidate her, but if she moved like she owned the place, they would think twice. And if she was honest, if they tried to intimidate her, short of killing them and breaking the Toa Code yet again, she didn't think she would be able to keep face. She wasn't all that physically strong, her training made her powers often situational, she was short, and to top it all off, the only toa tool she had on her was a great knife. She wasn't much in a fight unless she could go all out, and she couldn't risk that. She was here to get lost, not to make waves.

A shout startled Quiri out of her thoughts, making her jump into the air with a shriek, her shoulder-mounted rockets waving around looking for a target to destroy. Quiri stared down at a lone Bo-Matoran, hands raised in surrender, shivering in fear and staring back, a thick packet of vines bundled together in one hand.

"Uh…," he started with a small voice, trying his best his look smaller. "You don't look like one of the island's Toa…"

Quiri blinked in surprise. _There were other Toa here? Did they know her?_

"There's other Toa here?" She asked, trying not to sound too worried. Why would anyone here know her? The rest of the world barely knew this island existed. She was safe.

"Yeah, seven of them, one for each of the major villages," the Matoran said. "Who are you? And how did you get here?"

 _7 Toa. Great Mata Nui above. But, I suppose, no harm in telling them who I am._

"Quiri, Toa of Air, mechanic, looking for someone or something named 'Zunko'," she offered, not sure if she was even pronouncing it right. Jerking her thumb over her shoulder towards where she'd left her ride, Quiri continued, "And I came on a boat."

There was a pause as the Bo-Matoran digested this.

"A boat."

"Yep."

"By yourself?"

"Mmmm-hm."

"All alone on the open sea for weeks?"

"I didn't say it was an exciting boat ride."

The Matoran sighed, before straightening up and offering a hand and name; "Krueko, harvestman from Bo-Rexa. Where did you come from?"

 _Oh no._

"Uhh… from really far away," Quiri offered noncommittally. "

The Matoran frowned and stared up at her.

"You know what I meant."

"I do and I don't wanna tell you."

"You know that secrecy only makes others suspicious, right, Toa Quiri?"

"I… I would prefer that I didn't explain my past to Rexa Nui. It's not good history, not the kind you want to tell to people you've just met."

The Bo-Matoran was silent a few seconds longer.

"Are you a bad person, Toa Quiri?"

She opened and closed her mouth several times behind her Kanohi Sanok, unable to find her voice. The Matoran didn't say anything else, but gestured for her to follow. As they made their way towards a village together, she found that she couldn't make herself say 'no'.


End file.
